The play – which conveys the gentle but powerful love story of C S Lewis and Joy Gresham – looks at the nature of enduring love and bereavement. It’s a bit of a slow burner.
The early scenes show Lewis grappling with religious ideas such as why, if God loves us, he allows so much pain and suffering. But the minutely observed details and crisp academic wit convey brilliantly the closeted, masculine, intellectual flavour of life at Oxford University.
Amanda Ryan plays the smart, opinionated American Joy Gresham. She manages to hold herself out as a strong-minded, intelligent and educated modern woman whilst managing to ruffle the feathers of the male-dominated environment with her feminine insight.
Shannon Rewcroft plays Joy’s young son Douglas and it is through him that we glimpse the magical world of Lewis’s stories – with the set teasingly suggesting Narnia’s glistening forest through the windows. The boy’s desperate hope that magic will save his mother’s life is touching.
There are some great lines in this play: “Self-sufficiency is the enemy of salvation”, “We can't have the happiness of yesterday without the pain of today. That's the deal” and “I only started living when I loved you”.
Stephen Boxer in the lead is flawless. He artfully conveys both superior cutting intellect and his awkward emotional naivety. His gradual realisation of his love for Joy is beautifully acted. The force with which he conveys the impact of love found so late in life is breath taking. His distress during his fervent prayers, his impotent rage at his wife’s pain and contemplation of her death is palpable. He looked utterly depleted at the end of the performance and no wonder as he barely leaves the stage throughout the two and a half hour performance.
It’s a sad play that is sometimes tough to watch. And the consideration of religious concepts may deter some. But it is an artful reflection on the nature of true, lasting love and a stunning exploration of bereavement.
It’s on at Richmond Theatre until Saturday 30th July
http://www.atgtickets.com/shows/shadowlands/richmond-theatre/#overview_tab
